5 Reasons Why The PC Is The Worst Platform To Game On

Chris of The Games Cabin writes: There are those who will only ever game on their beloved PC, those who insist a console is the only way to play, and the rest of us who don't mind what we play on, as long as we have some fun.

I come from the latter group of people, I don't care if I'm playing a full HD game on a massive TV or some Super Mario on an ancient Gameboy. My problem is that one of my favourite platforms is being ruined, and to me it's all because of the following five points.

Steam is bridging the gap between hardcore PC gaming and Consoles. Now that Steam has come out with "Big Picture" mode, you can use a 360 controller to control the user interface just as seamlessly as the XMB or LIVE.

Most games that get released on PC have 360 controller support built into them already, so the whole experience is pretty much the same as what you can do on consoles. You even get a friends list and cross game chat through Steam, and its all free.

I'm still on the fence as to whether or not to buy a next gen console, especially since the games on PC are cheaper, you will always have 98% backwards compatibility and the graphics are better.

Wow I just posted on another PC vs. Console thread 2 minutes ago! So i'll use the same post!

1. hasn't every website on the Internet done one of these stupid PC vs. Console Gaming articles?

I grow old and weary of these dumb articles!

2. Why am I a PC Gamer....Because I enjoy Games that are only possible or only offered on the PC along with the Freedom to Mod and customize My Games and Gameplay to my needs to achieve the ultimate Gaming Experience that fits me!

3. Play on what you prefer both have positives and Negatives but the only thing that matters is the Games!

I used to game solely on PC but mostly gave it up for the PS1/2/3 when it largely became Windows only. However with Steam on Linux and various Kickstarter projects that may change with the next console transition.

Pathetic reasons...most ports are decent and piracy is bad for developers not really gamers( i dont pirate) and controls are good for all games but racing and 3rd person ones sometimes.Controls for fps are much better on pc.And "Computers Are A Pain In The Arse" Please just shut the hell up.Its going to be a pain in the ass for you because your an idiot 12 year old.

you do realize that 360 controllers can be plugged into the pc to be used. I do it all the time, batman arkham city is better on the pc for one.. uses directx11 with tesselation... game looks far superior to consoles... So this guy sounds like someone just looking for hits by spewing nonsense and trolling.

I completely agree with you I just want to put out there that ps3 controllers can be used as well (if for instance, you have a ps3 and not an Xbox 360) and a ps3 controller can be used to emulate and Xbox controller using the software anyway.

I use my 360 controller on 70% of the games I play, just multiplayer fps games which need precision I use k&m... So controls are not an issue and piracy is an issue yeah, but so is buying second hand console games which is basically the same thing, denying devs and publishers of money.

Ports can be pretty poor... Same again on console though, 1 always gets preferential treatment, they are not always ports too they can be developed on the side of each other and one version can still turn out to be worse or better than the rest.

And if you set up your PC right and look after it, it won't be a pain in the arse.

I say try both, if you prefer console gaming and what that has to offer then stick to that, but if you like to tinker with settings and mod games then PC is the way to go... Modding and tinkering is not everyones cup of tea which is why consoles are so popular.

As for the people that do prefer controllers, Just DL a free keymapping program like joytokey. It allows you to individually map controller buttons and analogs to KB keys and mouse movements, it even allows sensitvity and deadzone adjustments on both of the analogs individually. Making all games fully compatible whether they natively support it or not.

As for understanding a PC's guts and assembly. a 5min youtube video will tell you everything you need to know. It is actually quite easy (90% plug and play)

I didn't know anything about the inside of PC's either before i built my first rig. a few youtube video's later and i was ordering parts off of Newegg. took me about an hour to build it. been 2.5 years now and its still running like butter, never had any problems with it.

"There’s so many different graphics cards, processors, GPU’s, CPU’s, monitors (still no idea what one of these is) that when I look at the back of the box and peek down to the system requirements, I just say “fuck it” and take it anyway. A simplified method would be much appreciated, but I don’t think we’ll see one."

Some people are just dumb. He honestly doesn't know what a monitor is yet has he nerve to write an article claiming PC the worst platform. He is basically saying PC is inferior because he isn't smart enough to understand it.

i mostly play on the PC now even tho i have an xbox and a ps3 sitting next to each other :) and i only play FPS games with mouse/keybord, for everything else i use the gamepad, so when someone says it's just more comfortable to play on the console on the couch i say they probably don't know how to connect their PC to a HDTV and to use a freaking gamepad :D

1. I dont agree on .Some are bad ports 95% of them are better than the console versions

2. piracy doesn't affect the gamer.Developers raise prices so they can get more money , Do you think if someone built a full proof anti piracy system thats 100% secure do you think games would lower in price??

3. DRM i agree with the online always on thing is crap.

4.Control are i agree wiht a little but most games you can play with a PS3 and xbox 360 controllers, I personally dont like using the keyboard because i get confused and mess up sometimes(i dont have a Gaming Keyboard)but the game he mentions MW3 which is a FPS is made to be used with a keyboard and mouse

5.If you are a Gamer on Pc you know Pc's and most True Pc gamers Build their own computers and know a little about how they are made.

It seems that this article is written for kids since he mentions Little 10 year old timmy like 3 times and the guy who wrote the article knows nothing about Gaming on a computer and its too hard for him

"Developers raise prices so they can get more money , Do you think if someone built a full proof anti piracy system thats 100% secure do you think games would lower in price?? "

Games wouldn't be at the price they are on now if piracy hadn't been a factor. Much like fuel prices though, or prices in general, taking piracy away now would not result in lowering of prices, as the damage has already been done, the price is already this high, and nobody's going to want to decrease it.

But price isn't the only thing that's affected by piracy - it's release dates as well (if the game releases at PC at all these days). Developers are very cautious with the platform due to absurdly high piracy rates.

Games prices have remained the same since the days of the Genesis/Megadrive and the SNES. Possibly NES, but I really don't remember how much NES prices were in the UK.

It cost me £40 to get Sonic 2 on the Megadrive (an era with a distinct lack of piracy), just like it would have cost me £40 to get any 360 or PS3 game nowadays on release day, if I didn't actually shop around online for the best deals and get them even cheaper than that. Piracy has nothing to do with games prices today....nothing at all.

I will agree that piracy has affected the PC platform somewhat, you only have to see the makers of Crysis focus on the console market more than the PC one for evidence of that. But even then, the 360 has a high degree of piracy and we don't see the devs abandoning that platform in favour of the (until very recently) more secure PS3 platform.

I feel imersion is way better with consoles so that's why I don't play on pc. Plus I don't like spending 10 minuts trying to remember what button does what lol. I have been gaming since nes so a gamepad feels like a part of me and using a mouse and keyboard feels like I'm trying to write left handed while drunk.......and blindfolded lol

"There’s so many different graphics cards, processors, GPU’s, CPU’s, monitors (still no idea what one of these is) that when I look at the back of the box and peek down to the system requirements, I just say “fuck it” and take it anyway. A simplified method would be much appreciated, but I don’t think we’ll see one."

Really, you don't know what that screen that use the computer on is called? (hint hint, its called a monitor)

Which is better, console or PC? Don't care, I have both. My PC is connected very easily to my HDTV through HDMI, and I use a 360 pad for most games other than FPS games. My PC offers me the option to customise games if I want to and better graphics by default, as well as cheaper prices on big titles and great bargains on Steam games that I can't get on console. My PS3 and 360 offer me games that don't appear on PC, and are more hassle free. If a game is available on all 3, I can weigh up the pros and cons of each and choose the best option - not all PC ports are equal, and that can and does sway my decision.

Is one platform better than the other? No, they all simply offer different means to an ultimate end...playing games and having fun. There is no better, only different. It's the games that count, not the lumps of circuitry you play them on.

It's why I'm also getting a Wii U despite all the whining from some about it's relative lack of power - I just don't care about that, I want to play Nintendo games in HD with the new control schemes and multiplayer options that the tablet screens afford. All these articles whining about the FPS and the speed of the CPU....who gives a crap other than websites who enjoy the hits such debates start, and those who seemingly get joy from measuring their technological dick against those who play games on a different platform they do?

1) PC is capable of greater graphics. If you disagree with this statement, you're either not paying attention, or you only care about winning an argument. Consoles get the same technology as PC. But, they get that same technology many years later.

2) Consoles get more exclusive games. Duh. More people game on consoles, so more companies make games for consoles. Again, if you disagree with this statement, you're either not paying attention, or you only care about winning an argument.

3) You can mod on PC. I don't think anyone will argue with this. It may be possible on future consoles. But right now, it's not.

I won't state this one as a fact, but I'm pretty sure it's true: PC gaming is more expensive. The day that the new consoles are released, if you go buy a new PC with the same specs, you're going to pay more. Why? Well, you'll need to buy an operating system, a monitor, a keyboard and mouse, and a few other things, that a console doesn't need. PCs need to do more than consoles.

I couldn't find any lists for PC exclusives prior to 2009 so no clue how many more there were for the first 3 years after the 360 and PS3's launch. fairly sure it was alot more than the 19 needed for a tie with the 360. also note that the list i linked to for the PC is only the ones that have been submitted to the page by site members and also doesn't include most indie titles which number in the hundreds.

Yeah, the wiki I linked was also incomplete. Maybe the disconnect on this issue, is the type of game that is being discussed. Because, the PC has tons of "casual" exclusives, that console gamers wouldn't care about (although, so does Wii).

First three are valid points. 4 and 5 are personal issues. I mean I'm capable of using a keyboard and mouse, and I find computers fairly easy to use (because I wasn't born in the damn 50s). Can't speak for everyone though I guess.

1. Most games on PC are bad ports? lol what? do you even PC exclusive? do you even indie game? Do you even steam Greenlight? There is more exclusive games on PC than any other platform....Just because you havent heard of them does not mean they dont exist and are not good games.

2. Why is a 10 year old being used as an example here? Its very easy to pirate games on console and it has gotten far less technical to the point were a 10 year old could follow the guides.

3. DRM is really blown out of propportion, fair enough you should be able to play your game at all times whenever you want but such is modern consumerisim that we dont own any game, we merely permanently rent the software from the company. They effectively still own it. But PC without internet connection in 2012? ...really what would be the point in that and as for travelling....NEVER ever stay at travel lodge...terrible comfort, food & service and anywhere that doesnt offer free wifi these days is not worth paying to stay.

4. Keyboard and a mouse is like any other control method, my dad can play PC games but not controller based games. There no mystical thing stopping you its because you are to damn lazy to be bothered to give a new control method grow on you.

I dont know what the problem was, when I first played on PC I was a fumbling mess and got killed left right and centre on MP games and I couldnt deal with close range shooting, after sucking it up for a week it felt natural to me and after a month I was just as good as any other player. If you were a PC gamer and had never touched a controller the same would be true.

5. Upgrade your cooling, get a good closed ear headset. I dont know about you but xbox 360s and PS3s sound like wind trubines next to me compared to my PC.

Lack of knowledge is no excuse, The meaning of GPU can be found by simply googling....there is a wealth of information out there and massive amounts of tutorials on how to do "flashy" things like overclocking, modding etc.

You can get your money back if a game does not run properly on your PC if its a digital copy as far as I know, metro didnt run for me on my PC because it blatantly runs like crap on nividia cards and I got a refund for it. There is demos out there but games companies these days seem to want people to pirate their games judging by the fact they NEVER release demos. Would it really hurt ubisoft to release a demo of assassins creed 3 so we could see its an unoptimised piece of crap like II? Demos do alot more for PC games and if they did them you would see piracy rates fall because me and more than a few of my friends pirate as a demo to see how the game runs/plays. Its like they have something to hide if they dont release a demo.

What could be much more simplified than stating how much VRAM is needed? BF3......1GB of VRAM for recommended....so common sense dictates you need a card with 1GB of VRAM or over...

Really this article was just an excuse for lazyiness and a complete unwillingness to solve easy problems...im sorry not knowing what a GPU is? There was one or two valid points about travelling and one other thing but a majority of it is very easily solved or just a simple fact of getting used to.